Email Newsletter

What Are School Vouchers?

School vouchers have been implemented by some Governments as a new form
of a tax rebate - and it aims to follow on from the preferences that a parent
might make between public and private school. As you will know, we are all
taxed for the public education service - regardless of where we send our
children for their education. There were criticisms that this was unfair,
as a person who opted to pay for private schooling would still have to pay
for the state-funded alternative. As such, a new form of tax rebate known
as 'school vouchers' was made - allowing parents who would pay towards public
schooling to offset this against private tuition fees instead. Some parents
have found this incredibly supportive, particularly if they want the best
for their child on a limited budget. Of course however, it has been met
with some stiff opposition from others who have taken a different approach
to the idea.

In actuality, the concept of such a scheme has been around for centuries
- with the first carnations of this idea appearing in the 19th century in
states such as Vermont. The vouchers were even used as a method of segregating
students during the 1960s when racial discrimination was a key issue in
some areas which are South of the country.

The Reagan
and the first Bush administration were the two parties who were for
this in the United States - and they were the authoritarians who made the
push to get this implemented into educational bills.

It is believed that the benefits of school vouchers are quite well-spread,
allowing for those who might be of a low income or from an unprivileged
background to have the opportunity to benefit from a private education which
could give them more intensive tuition. Well over 170,000 students this
academic year have used vouchers in the states in which it is active, also
allowing some students to attend specialized educational schemes which are
based around their around individual needs - something which might not have
been possible before.

Despite the fact that the scheme has been implemented, there is still a
lukewarm response to this initiative which has been seen across the country.
Because of the conflicting views about this concept amongst those who are
of a different political stance in America, the system has been reviewed
in the beginning of the 21st century to see whether it is still relevant
to the students of today, or simply an ideology.

More states
are beginning to adopt the idea, because school vouchers are only existent
in a fraction of states. Utah has been one of the latest states to get involved,
and instead of parents being taxed for the school institutions in their
area, they can have the opportunity to have thousands of dollars in some
circumstances directed in vouchers towards a private education. Whether
this is a good thing or a bad thing is something which many politicians
have been urging educators to consider and to explore.